The Election Unit
2008

Agenda
Election Coverage
What is expected
Terms
Individual Assignments
Projects
The Final Presidential Debate
Goal

In this lesson, students consider negative campaigning tactics in the ongoing presidential campaign and in statements and exchanges in the second 2008 presidential debate.

What Are Your Reactions To The Following:
"The sun will rise. The sun will set. And the presidential campaign will go negative."-- Mark McKinnon, former adviser to John McCain


- "If your house is on fire, all you care about is who is going to put it out best." -- Stuart Stevens, Republican consultant for President Bush’s 2004 re-election campaign

Reflection
What Themes Emerged?
Did You Agree or Disagree With These Quotes?
What Influenced Your Line of Thought?

Spinning- A Term To Remember
Spinning is putting a slant on information to influence public opinion of a candidate or leader.

Article Questions
a. What type of campaign are both presidential candidates moving away from, according to the author of this article? Why is this significant?

b. According to this article, what is one example of a negative and personal attack on Senator Obama that the McCain campaign raised in the last week? What point about Mr. Obama are they trying to make?

c. According to this article, what is one example of a negative and personal attack on Senator McCain that the Obama campaign raised in the last week? What point about Mr. McCain are they trying to make?

d. What advice did Governor Sarah Palin give Senator McCain for the second presidential debate during a speech in Florida? What do you think she meant?

e. What kind of performance and strategy does the article predict for each candidate in the second presidential debate? Did the two candidates fulfill this prophecy in last night’s debate?